Alan "Baldie" Longo : "Don't let anyone tell you we're dead, we're not. Because Vito [Genovese] ain't here no more, Vincent [Gigante] is."
FBI agent John Pritchard : 'He was probably the most clever organized crime figure I'd ever seen.' 'Without a doubt, he was the smartest, most scheming mafia figure to come down the pike in my time"
The authorities say that the Genovese family has retained most of its power mainly because of the ruthless discipline and secrecy imposed by Vincent (Chin) Gigante, whom Federal and state prosecutors have identified in indictments as the group's boss since 1980. Under Mr. Gigante's rule the Genovese clan has supplanted the Gambino family as the wealthiest and most powerful crime faction in New York and New Jersey, Federal and state officials say. "Nobody will cross Chin Gigante," Mr. North said of Mr. Gigante's role in the family.
Investigators grudgingly credit Mr. Gigante with exceptional skill in selecting loyal capos who operate crews and funnel illegal profits to him. Unlike the other families in the region, the Genovese group has had no high-level traitors and its hierarchy seems to be intact.
